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Ogham
=Faith & Fire= =Dark Ages: Storyteller's Companion= Dark Ages: Storyteller's Companion, p. 43 "No," Lord Jurgen said tot eh scantily-clad, blood pointed woman. "I refuse to acknowledge your supreme authority int his little glade. I find your strange behavior and habits tiring and gruesome." He laid a hand on the hilt of his sword and looked at her sharply, magic behind his gaze. "Stand aside and let me pass." The woman did not move. "In this place," she said, her voice like rotting leaves, "the spirits and land are mine to control." As if in response, the grass near Jurgen's feet curled and uncurled with a pulse like one of the kine. "Return to your own domain, Warlord. I speak for this land." The Ohgam Discipline is only found among the Lhiannan bloodline; they do not (some say cannot) share its secrets with those who do not suffer from their line's curse. As described in the bloodline's write up (see page 16), all Lhiannan share a splinter of ad ark, once-vast and powerful forest spirit. Ogham allows them to tap into that spirit's power, and into its communion with free spirits of its ilk. Although the Lhiannan's spirit is weak and growing weaker, Ogham works consistently for them; the power of vampiric blood seems sufficient to overcome the waning of strength of the ever-dissipating being that animates them all. All uses of Ogham are extremely personal, and touch the core of each Lhiannan's being. When she activates this Discipline, she is tapping into a spirit that is bound to her soul and Beast, and so no Lhiannan ever uses Ogham casually. Ogham is a limited form of blood magic; it is neither as flexible nor as powerful as Tremere Thaumaturgy, nor other clans' blood sorcery, but within the bounds set by the Lhiannan's territorial nature it is quite powerful. Ogham is strongest within a Lhiannan's home territory. More than five miles away from her home territory, the difficulty of using Ogham increases by one across the board, as the Lhiannan's own spirit-shard comes into conflict with unfamiliar local spirit life. Consecrate the Grove The Lhiannan with this ability can use the power of her blood to awaken the spirits of plant life in her territory; they will act in her defense against any unwelcome intruder. Roots tangle feet, grass grasps at boots, trees sway unnaturally in foes' way, and so on. Typically the Lhiannan slits a wrist and twirls in place (counterclockwise, or widdershins), or stabs a palm and walks a widdershins spiral pattern through the foliage that she wishes to awaken. Crimson Woad The Lhiannan traces mystical runes or script on her own body in vitae, inviting the spirits of war to infuse her and gird her for battle. When so imbued, she ignores many wounds and retains greater control of her mind as the spirits direct her Beast. The Lhiannan can also lash out at her enemies with a fierce, blood-borne attack. Inscribe the Curse The Lhiannan inscribes the name of an enemy on her body in vitae, in whatever language or set of symbols she likes. When the name is so inscribed and the Lhiannan's enemy can see it, baleful spirits become bound to the name and enact a curse upon that enemy. The curse takes effect the moment the victim sees his name scrawled in blood. Moon and Sun The unlife of a Cainite is dominated by two celestial bodies: the sun, which she must fear and hate; and the moon, her only safe source of light. A Lhiannan can trace ancient sigils of these two orbs in her blood to gain gifts; the spirit of the moon, ever the vampire's friend, blesses her by its current phase, while the sun's spirit wards off some of that orb's fiery curse. Werewolves, who are said to worship the moon, are enraged at the sight of a lunar emblem on a vampire. Drink Dry the Earth The spirit within every Lhiannan is drawn tot eh sites of mystical energy, whether ancient stone circles, faerie rings, or dragon tracks. That spirit-shard can wrest spiritual energy out of those places of power, and use it to aid the Lhiannan. A word of caution, however: stealing too much power from any mystical site renders it barren and lifeless, much as if the Cainite had consumed the very blood of the Earth. Also, wizards and werewolves frequent the same sites, and destroying these places can rouse their ire.